- Smokey Robinson is ‘The King of Motown’ with tons of hits.
- He’s been married twice. His first wife was Claudette Rogers Robinson from 1959 to 1986. He married his second wife Frances Glandney in 2002.
- Frances Glandney joined Smokey Robinson on the red carpet for the 2023 Grammys.
Smokey Robinson is known as the King of Motown, but who is his queen? The Miracles band member has been married twice. One marriage resulted in divorce and the other is happily intact. Smokey Joe shot up to celebrity status after he formed the group The Miracles, which is best known for its hits “The Tracks of My Tears,” “Shop Around,” “I Second That Emotion,” “Baby Baby Don’t Cry,” and “Tears of a Clown.”
Smokey is joining fellow legend Stevie Wonder and modern country star Chris Stapleton for a performance of three songs at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2023. Smokey and Stevie are preparing to perform a duet of his classic song “Tears of Clown.” Smokey’s wife Frances Glandney joined the singer as he walked the red carpet at the award show, and she sported a beautiful sparkling suit for the occasion. Smokey rocked a turquoise tuxedo with a black shirt.
Once he left The Miracles in 1972, he became a music executive and launched his own solo career. He also proved himself as a songwriter creating hits for top artists like Mary Wells and The Temptations. Smokey has had a long and successful career and there have been moments of it when he has a woman by his side and others where he has rode it solo. Here’s everything you need to know about the two women that he wed.
Claudette Rogers Robinson
Claudette Rogers Robinson had a name for herself aside from being Smokey’s wife. She was a member of the music group The Miracles along with her husband. In fact, she even has her own title as The First Lady of Motown. Both a singer and songwriter, she first got her start in a group called The Matadorettes while her brother Sonny Rogers was in a band called The Matadors. When he left the group to serve in he military she took his place and the group became The Miracles– that’s how she met Smokey.
Claudette and Smokey tied the knot in 1959 and had two kids together. Their first child Berry Robinson, named after Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, was born in 1968. His younger sister Tamla Robinson was born a year later in 1969. The two had plenty of ups and downs in their marriage.
In 2023, Smokey admitted to having an affair with Diana Ross while married to Claudette. “We were working together and it just happened. But it was beautiful. She’s a beautiful lady, and I love her right till today,” he confessed to The Guardian in an interview published on April 27, 2023. He added that the affair lasted one year. “She’s one of my closest people,” the “Cruisin’” hitmaker continued about Diana. “She was young and trying to get her career together. I was trying to help her. I brought her to Motown, in fact. I wasn’t going after her and she wasn’t going after me. It just happened.”
He said Diana ended their affair because she knew it wasn’t right. “After we’d been seeing each other for a while, Diana said to me she couldn’t do that because she knew Claudette, and she knew I still loved my wife,” the music icon remembered. “And I did. I loved my wife very much.”
It’s not clear what year Smokey and Diana had their affair, but his ex-wife, Claudette, first caught him cheating in 1974. They separated that year, and the time apart inspired his song, “The Agony & The Ecstasy.” He cheated on her again, which resulted in getting another woman pregnant and the birth of his son, Trey, in 1984. That was the final straw for their relationship and he filed for separation — they later divorced in 1986.
Frances Glandney
Frances Glandney may not be a Motown legend but she has certainly made her own mark on the world. The 52-year-old is a successful interior designer but prefers to stay out of the limelight. She also launched a skincare line with Smokey in collaboration with Skinphonic. Their collections are called The Get Ready and My Girl, named after his songs for The Temptations, and were specifically made for people of color.
Frances and Smokey dated for a while before they decided to tie the knot in May 2002. They have been married for 19 years and seem to still be going strong as life partners and business partners. The two currently reside peacefully together in their home in Pittsburgh.
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